Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
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Tonight, floodwaters are coming down to the Belize River Valley - and already the community of Rancho Dolores is cut off. This Coast Guard truck which was deployed to that village on Sunday got submerged under 5 feet of water this morning on the approach to the bridge - and it remains there tonight, with waters expected to rise further.
Today when we visited Rancho was like an island with only one way on and off, but there is no active 24 hour ferry or water taxi for these residents. We took a boat ride over to the village and found a population used to the river's rise and retreat. Jomarie Lanza reports.
What was once the road leading into the small community of Rancho Dolores here in the Belize River Valley is now a waterway. Spanish Creek has spilled way over the banks and is now enveloping the road and the bridge into Rancho. So, villagers can only get in and out by boat or canoe.
It's a familiar event for these residents that have been living here for generations, but it does create a concern for those living near the water's edge. There is no telling how high the river will rise, and how long it will take to go down - it often takes months. The village chairlady says that they just need to be prepared for whatever mood mother nature may be in.
Elsita Gillet, Chairlady, Rancho Dolores "From this morning we have seen a significant raise of the river. The bridge, the approach to the bridge, had some water this morning around 4:00 and then from 4:00 to this present time this is the condition of it now so it's rapidly raising and I think it will continue to rise. We had some setbacks this morning with vehicles coming in but we are good with that part for right now we couldn't get our villagers out those workers and students we have called off classes and we have been working with the principal from Belize Primary school and we haven't transported any kids from that side to here because of the conditions of the water."
"We knew this was going to happen because it's already happened in 2020 and in 2022 it started, it came for one day and then it went in 2022 the same exact thing happened the bridge went under water and we had the cricket field half of the cricket field was under water the coast guard boat had to dock by the school in 2020 so we figured that this would happen."
Though there is no real solution to the problem, they have managed to work out a shuttling schedule with the Belize Coast Guardsmen assigned to the area to get residents in and out through boat.
PO1 Cassasola, Belize Coast Guard "The call came to us about 16:00 yesterday so we had our crew we got ready and we deployed this morning from our base at 300 hours this morning."
Jo- "And when you first arrived what did you observe."
PO1 Cassasola, Belize Coast Guard "There was a lot of water and it wasn't the way we heard it because we were told that it was only small vehicles that cannot pass and when we came we noticed that we did need a vessel so we called in and got a vessel to come to this location."
"We have a schedule that we are running from right now that is 4:30 in the morning 5:30 and 6:30 and then we take a break in the afternoon and then we come back at 4 o'clock 5:15 and 6:40 in the evening."
Reporter- "Who is it for? Is it just essential or for anyone that wants to cross?"
PO1 Cassasola, Belize Coast Guard "We have mainly workers, students, and other people that need to go to Belize to do any type of shopping."
Moving in and out of the village becomes restricted temporarily and not even the most high powered vehicles could make it through up to 4-5ft of water.
Raymond Reyes, Resident "Every maybe 5,6, 10 years I lived here over 50 odd years right and it came like this maybe 4 or 5 different times but for the past ten years before it came like this again."
Reporter- "So where we are is the road right?"
Raymond Reyes, Resident "Yes this is the road. This morning right out here the BDF truck got stuck, Well it shutdown in the water."
For Martina Belisle and her fami ly who live adjacent to the river, she says in the past the water rose all the way up to her window sill.
Martina Belisle, Resident "Well everytime it comes this is the same headache I have every time but I can't do better so I have to work it out."
Reporter- "What makes it a headache for you?"
Martina Belisle, Resident "Because I have to move everything out from my house. Then I don't know where I will lay my head right now."
Reporter- "I see you haven't started to do that yet."
Martina Belisle, Resident "No, I already took out everything, everything, all my chairs, only my refrigerator and stove is left because I'm cooking. Only that is left in there."
Reporter- "So where do you take it?"
Martina Belisle, Resident "Right in that building over there I put it on four blocks of cement and then I cover it with a canvas."
Reporter- "You are doing this from experience?"
Martina Belisle, Resident "Yes everytime everytime this is not the first time for me."
And while movement does become restricted that won't stop residents from running essential errands, like your regular soft drink and beer re-up for the week.
Jude Joseph, Resident "Well you know you have no access every minute to go across, you have to wait on the boat and they give you a schedule when to go cross and when to come back so it's kind of rough."
"We just have to hunker down and wait to see if you can catch a ride otherwise you can walk come in and it's a long while."
Jo- "How long have you been living back here?"
Jude Joseph, Resident "I've lived back here 37 years."
Jo- "So how many days do you guys wait until it goes back to normal."
Jude Joseph, Resident "Well in truthful in 2020 we had the same amount of water which in right now where we are had water during election 2020 and we waited at least three months until we can walk across this bridge."
"So Christmas we are looking at our Christmas right there. That's our Christmas coming, no access across unless it's in a boat."
"But everybody here just has to stay on the island and wait."
Jo "Island?"
Jude Joseph, Resident "Yes it's an island because we don't have any way to exit."
And just down the road, the Belize River at Bermudian landing is fat and full and just a few feet below the deck of the bridge. There is a flood warning in effect for this river - and these images show why.
Based on experience as recent as 2020, villagers tell us it may take months until the waters recede to their pre-flood levels.
And while the waters are rising in the River Valley, in San Ignacio- the Macal is receding and in the heart of the town, market vendors are slowly beginning to open up again for business. Jomarie Lanza reports.
While you needed a jet ski to go down to the San Ignacio Market this past Sunday, today market vendors were slowly beginning to open up again after being underwater for days.
It is a costly headache for those who earn their daily bread here in the market. And even after they are through with cleaning, setting back up for business is no easy task
Dianellie Itza, Market Vendor "And Actually everybody here in the market depends on this so it's a very big loss for each of us. Each day that passes we lose so like I told you, especially that day we had to get extra people to come and help us."
"It's a long process. We started from Monday as the river receded. We came back and washed and we had to wait for the tables and everything to dry and yesterday we came and started to unpack only that area and it was like 3 or 4 of us doing that work."
Lots of work and revenue lost and the PTSD of a flood doesn't fade easily.
El Fogon, Market Vendor "From the minute we hear the river is coming up anxiety starts to rush in and we are hoping and hoping it won't get to us but this time it did and fortunately enough we had enough warning so we could get out in time and it has taken us ever since the weather started receding on Monday we have been here working."
And in More Tomorrow Village, the residents are trapped inside, unable to go to work or school. Both roads leading out of the village are inundated with floodwaters - as deep as 4 feet in some parts. NEMO reportedly tried to enter, but was forced to turn back around. The villagers worry that if there is an emergency, they will not be able to get out. We spoke with the chairman today via phone.
Voice of: Michael Myvette, Chairman, More Tomorrow Village "We have, for the past three, four years, right now, and we have no access to back and forth right now, because the two roads are flood out. So if we get into an emergency or something like that, I don't know, we are going to make it out because no vehicle can't move nowhere right now from our community. And, yes, we got flood, some people took shelter, a couple of families, but NEMO assisted those people, but when you look at it, the whole community got trapped by the flood, because nobody can move nowhere to buy or nothing."
"So we just have to wait until the water go down, so that people can do what they have to do. We have the farm belt, people farms their crops went down too, so nobody can reach the farm right now due to the flood."
"So as soon the water starts to go down, then people will go and see damage and the losses they got with the flood. And after that, then so we are getting in touch with the agriculture department, see they will come and assist we the farmers."
"Right now, the water is about four feet, still high, so that no vehicle can come back and forth through that. They say that it's still high, because NEMO was trying to come in today, and they say the vehicle can't make it, so once they are telling you that, that's means the water is still high, because more than one spot of the road the water is."
"This morning, the vehicle that come to take a school children to go to high school, they had to turn back, because the children cannot cross to go to the school."
Reporter "Do you feel like your village is being left out or abandoned in a way?"
Voice of: Michael Myvette, Chairman, More Tomorrow Village "Well, I would say, in one way, yes, because then only the people in the shelter they recognize, you know, and it's like what we are saying that once we get trapped, it's the whole community suffering right now, and not just the people in the shelter."
"If assistance should come through and we supposed to ask, the first thing we would like to ask are for food items, you know, because normally, that is what people do, they go out shopping to maintain their family."
Myvette estimates that it will be at least 3 days before the water recedes and they will be able to make it to their farms - if it doesn't rain again.
And we got an update on the status of all Roads, Bridges and Ferries from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development today. It shows that most roads in the north have been opened, while in the west a number of roads remain closed or impassable. Notably, the entrance to Benque Viejo is passable and the bridge to Bullet Tree Falls is passable.
In Santa Elena Cayo, a daughter got home for lunch today at around 1:30 only to find her mother dead. The 63 year old had been stabbed to death. Donica Urbina told police that when she got there, she noticed that the gate to her mother's yard was open. Upon entering the house she found her mother lying on the floor leaned against the sofa bleeding from her face and neck area. She had been stabbed multiple times. No one else was at home when Castellanos was found and police are looking for an intruder tonight. Police are reviewing surveillance footage from the area.
Police raided a store in the Lake Independence area on Friday - and came up with a trove of illegal items, including an entire fake immigration operation - complete with visas and entry stamps.
Our team was at the scene this morning when police went back looking for more items:
Police returned to Double Zero Shop on Western Avenue today with a QRT officer guarding the property, as CIB officers and the owner were inside. He emerged with them wearing handcuffs.
It's a sensitive investigation because a police search on Friday turned up something like an illicit immigration office. They found several immigration stamps for visas, permanent residence documents, an entry stamp, and several passports.
Information suggests that there were also visas issued to Asian nationals.
The CEO in the Ministry of Immigration Tanya Santos confirmed that quote, the visas are definitely fraudulent. We are yet to confirm the stamps and PR documents." End quote.
And tonight that shop owner, 47 year old Joshua Ashburn has been charged. We can confirm that police found 6 Chinese Passports and 5 Belize Immigration Stamps.
But, charges for that are still being worked on. Tonight he is being held on remand along with two others. Ashburn was charged along with 20 year old Keenen Anthony and 30 year old Mario Fernandez.
They are facing charges for the below items: a black Glock .40 caliber pistol along with two loaded magazines. Police also found 3 large plastic bags containing 16 pounds of cannabis in an oven.
The trio appeared before a Senior Magistrate where they were read four criminal offenses: one count of kept prohibited firearm and one count of kept prohibited ammunitions and two counts of possession of a control drugs with intent to supply.
In court only O' Connor was represented by Attorney, Sharon Pitts-Robateau while Fernandez and Ashburn were unrepresented.
The trio all pleaded not guilty to the kept prohibited firearm and ammunitions, Ashburn wanted to plead guilty to the two counts of possession of a control drugs.
He told the court he was guilty of possession simplicita but not with intent to supply anyone.
However the sitting Senior Magistrate of Court #6 told Ashburn that the charge before the court is for possession with intent to supply and so she could not accept a plea for a lesser charge and so his guilty plea was rejected. Fernandez told the court he only went there for work. He never knew drugs was at the yard.
Due to the nature of the offenses, the trio were denied bail and remanded to the Belize CentraL Prison until January 20, 2025.
Two Jamaican Nationals, 37 year old Devon Dean and 24 year old Khario Fisher appeared in court today to answer to several criminal offenses after attempting to enter Belize through the PGIA. Dean was read two counts of aggravated assault with a wooden chair upon Allen Vargas an immigration officer, while being detained at his hotel on Monday for being a Non bonafide tourist in Belize. Dean pleaded guilty, and was fined $800 plus $5 cost of court which he must pay forthwith or face four months imprisonment.
After he paid his fine Dean was detained again by the Belize Immigration department an hour after stepping out of court. That happened just after he tried to give our court reporter an interview:
Rodriguez's other client Khario Fisher was arraigned for harm, to which he pleaded guilty. Fisher is accused of harming a security guard on duty at the hotel on Monday. He was fined $300 plus $5 cost of court which he must pay or face 3 months imprisonment. Both men arrived in Belize on October 24th in a group of 7 people. They say they were here to visit relatives. Only two were allowed entry into Belize.
On Monday we told you about the Corozal Freezone burglars who stole over 4 million pesos. With the use of drones, police were able to capture two of the four suspects in the area. Yesterday they charged 46 year old Egbert Vernon and 28 year old Joshua Westby, both from the Faber's Road area of Belize City, for the crime of burglary. Police recovered a portion of the money but reports say it was over 40 million pesos in total that was stolen.
And in other news, all around the world, millions of people tuned into Shyne Barrow's documentary, "The Honorable Shyne" when it premiered on Hulu on Monday. After its premiere, it skyrocketed to the top most watched show on the streaming platform.
This success comes 20 years after Barrow's last #1 record. But he says it's not just about him, and that the story portrayed in the documentary reflects the lives, struggles, accomplishments, and potential for every Belizean. He added that it also demystifies his life and clears up the rumors shrouding it.
Today, Barrow was back in his UDP office physically, but metaphorically he was back at the top of the mountain. He was all smiles as he thanked everyone who tuned in to the doc.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "It's the number one film, show, on Hulu worldwide so I'm extremely grateful for that, thank you to everyone out there that has supported The Honorable Shyne documentary to make it number one, so extremely grateful for the reception we've gotten so far. Especially in Belize, there are a lot of people that did not know the Shyne story and because I'm a political figure the PUP has done an effective job, I think that's the only thing I could say they're done an effective job at in their tenure in this administration, but even before that, a narrative has been crafted about Shyne Barrow that, for those off you that have seen it, hearing from my father himself, hearing from my mother, that I did not grow up with even a bronze spoon in my mouth and I come from a single parent household and everything that I have, I had to ensure great suffering and sacrifice to get there."
"I think this is a Belizean success story, a global success story so I'm happy that people at least get to see who I am and draw from that inspiration in their own journeys."
"20 years was my last number one for the Godfather Buried Alive album and then before that, it was 2020 that we had the Shyne album, so yes, back at number 1. Extremely grateful, we did not engage in the documentary for number 1, it was just an important story to tell, for all the reasons I just outlined because I believe my story is the Belizean story, the human story, everybody that we see is dealing with some type of struggle, even we see faces wanting to give up, wanting to quit, everybody faces uncertainty, everybody faces when you feel like life is beating you and you don't know how to overcome life. But I am not special, I just kept going and so that is the message, especially to our youth, especially to the disenfranchised, the overlooked and undervalued."
And last week even the PM said he was planning to watch, though he was skeptical about the story that would be told. He criticized Barrow, accusing him of using his political office as a way to get back to the country that deported him. But Barrow was on cloud 9, and while those remarks would usually make him bristle, today they drifted right past him.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "Fool is talking but it's not fool listening. I'm happy that he'll be tuning in to watch the documentary."
Reporter: "With his popcorn."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "With his popcorn and I hope that he enjoys it. This is all of our stories, he had a father who had made some mistakes so he should celebrate the resilience of all of us and second chances and criminal justice reform which I know attorney general Anthony Sylvester has been a champion of. So I think this is a moment of celebration, it shouldn't be a moment that divides us. I don't believe the documentary is campaigning for me to be the next prime minister. I do that, that is what I do, I am here to present my argument and my case to the people, but this should be a moment of celebration, my story is the Briceno story, my story is the Barrow story, my story is the Musa story, is the Hyde story, is the Espat story, it's your story. I have been able to accomplish things that all Belizeans have the capacity to accomplish and so we should be inspired. We should see it and say, yes, Shyne, alright, I will find what I need to find within me so I could do things that people think I can't do."
And at the very start of the documentary, it delves into Barrow's relationship with his father, Dean Barrow. The former PM admitted to essentially abandoning his son, and Barrow's mother speculated that her son was looking for that father figure in his life.
But decades later, Barrow says the relationship between him and his father has long been mended, even before the documentary. In fact, he explained that it's the only reason the former PM agreed to be featured in it.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "The relationship has already been mended and everything that I say in the documentary is the gospel. When they spoke to my father, he told the story, he did not shy away from the mistakes that he has made. I chose not to focus and to beat him down because the truth is there but there are many people who don't know the truth and so I actually am grateful that we have such a strong relationship despite our disagreements on many policy matters which is the beauty of relationships and the beauty of having the father that I have that is not a micromanager, that is not someone that has manufactured my life. Everything you see, with the help of God and the help of many people, including my father, he has given advice, Michael Finnegan has given advice, everyone has contributed somehow but my father and I don't share the relationship where I am reading off a script that he wrote or he's over there pulling strings and jumping in front of buses to save me. He pretty much stands by and if I ask for advice, sometimes he doesn't even take the advice that he gives me, and he cusses me out, and tell me, why you ask for the advice and you're not listening? But we love each other still and I believe one of the things I decided a long time ago was to love my father and my mother and honor them with no expectations for any return, my blessings would come from the heavens and so I treat with my mom and my dad in a fashion where I just love them."
And while The Honorable Shyne is available on Hulu, that particular streaming platform isn't readily available in Belize. But if you want to see the doc, Barrow says he'll be hosting free screenings across the country.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "We will be doing screenings at Ramada this weekend, I think we'll do screenings all over, but we'll start in Belize City so everyone will be invited to that. We'll set up, Play Tune Marketing handling that, Brother Richie Galvez so I guess he'll set up a system by which people can RSVP and maybe we'll do both theaters. I don't know what we have access to, I haven't checked back with him but we'll do as much people want to come and see it in the city and then we'll go around the country and put up projectors. I know that the US Embassy used to do movies on the green, do something like that, outdoor cinema, across the country."
Courtney Menzies: "So it will be free of cost?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "Yes, of course. But I believe if you can't wait, you'll get a Firestick and I believe Hulu is available on Firesticks."
Courtney Menzies: "Will there be a part 2?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "Well the part 2 is me being the prime minister of Belize."
Courtney Menzies: "So if that happens then a part 2 to the documentary will come out?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "No even if it doesn't happen, the part 2 will document the journey. And there's so many other things that are happening, we have the scripted series, so like a TV series, like, I want to think of a positive example, but ones that come to mind are like Deck of Cards or like Billionaire, just a TV series about my life and then we have a memoir which will be adapted into a motion picture so there's three projects left but I'm sure you could do another documentary just about politics when it is all said and done, we are in unprecedented times and whether I triumph or heaven forbid, fail, it would be something to be studied and be looked at so definitely there will be more projects."
But back in the current reality of Barrow's political career, his leadership has been under attack for the past few weeks. But he says now more than ever, he believes his supporters have even more reason to remain on his side.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "This has certainly done wonders for the people that believed in me no matter what, who certainly have gone through the most tumultuous times ever in the UDP in the last two years and 7 months, certainly in the last couple of weeks. And there have been many instances where colleagues may have questioned, well why am I supporting this gentleman, why not just give in to the other side and I think this has really bolstered my supporters to say, yes, you see, we knew everything that everyone is now getting to see by way of the documentary and the reception and the response that everyone is having here and abroad, we already knew that so this really has given me momentum with those that support me and even those that may have questioned why I'm in the leadership office, it certainly has reaped dividends."
But regardless of the success of his documentary, Tracy Panton and the Alliance for Democracy continue to operate under the UDP banner. Two weeks ago, Panton announced that her faction was going on a national tour as they gear up for general elections. And as recently as Friday, they issued a press release with the UDP letterhead.
But even that couldn't dampen Barrow's mood today, especially since the court granted him the temporary injunction and occupation of the party HQ.
He even told us that Joe Bradley and Alfonso Noble may get to keep their jobs at Wave Radio and Guardian Newspaper. But what about other UDP functionaries, like Yellowman and Juliet Thimbriel? Well, here's what he said.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "The status quo ante has been established by Justice Hondora which is that everything returns to the way it was until he makes a decision on the case and that's everything overall, the Guardian, Wave, everything, even our UDP letterhead which I see is still being unauthorizedly used by the Alliance."
Reporter: "But there have been significant personnel changes in terms of the way the organs are now being run."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "It has been, to be clear, we're looking at the Joe and Fonso situation because I'm here to bring the party together, I'm here to heal, and here to reconcile as long as people accept the status quo, accept who the leader is, who the duly elected leadership executive is so we're looking at how we can work with Joe and Fonso so you heard that here first. So there has not been a termination letter sent, it was definitely something that was contemplated based on the outburst that Fonso had and different things that they did but we're looking to see how we can incorporate them into the new structures of the Guardian."
Courtney Menzies: "What about the other personnel who used to be around here like Yellowman?"
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "We haven't looked at that, remember that happened before, so we haven't looked at that but as far as the Guardian and Wave, we're looking at how we can reintegrate Joe and Fonso but still keep the same diverse line up, I think it has gotten a positive reception getting the party chairman, the deputy party chairman, Delroy, different people coming on different days so we plan to continue that and Delroy has done a very enhanced upgrade of the Guardian so we want to continue that as well."
Reporter: "What is your relationship with Juliet Thimbriel? If you look at the documentary, she spoke glowingly of you there. As of now, it seems you guys are at loggerheads."
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "I'm not at loggerheads with Juliet. I will always appreciate Juliet Thimbriel, she was a friend and a sister at one point and I am not arguing with her, whatever issues might be there, you'd have to ask her how she feels but I only have love and good things in my heart when it comes to her. I try to remember the positives and for whatever reason we are where we are but I hold no grudges."
And he believes the court will ultimately rule in his favor, especially when taking the tone of the first judgment into consideration. Additionally, Barrow said that Panton is wasting her time trying to unseat him when the energy should be used to go after the government.
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition "I can't go into the judges mind but the decision was scathing when he gave his details about why he denied the adjournment request and how he felt that, in his words, it was a deliberate attempt to get an adjournment which is why they came without lawyers. Then when he talks about denying Sheena's amicus petition, he talks about the fact that she wasn't amicus, she had a vested interest to try to mislead the court, he wasn't very appreciate of that and he goes into why he feels that as an officer of the court she had a greater responsibility to be transparent."
"We need to be clear, the position of the party is that these people are no longer members of the party and they've formed an Alliance for Democracy Party. That has always been our position, they take another position, but we have to focus on Wally Nunez being accused of corruption. We have to focus on the immigration corruption that has been uncovered in Lake Independence. We have to focus on the inadequate response to Tropical Storm Sara, we have to focus on the continued high cost of living. I don't see any benefit on focusing on Tracy Panton and her Alliance for Democracy. It does not help the Belizean people. We cannot give John Briceno and the PUP a few pass and I would encourage them to focus on John Briceno. Instead of trying to unseat the Opposition Leader, they should be trying to unseat the prime minister and they can do that focusing on me, people don't want to hear about me, people want to hear about the solutions to make their lives better and what is wrong with the country and how we can fix it."
A woman is detained pending investigation of arson after a house fire yesterday in the DFC area of San Pedro. The small wooden structure where it started was across from the Ambergris Stadium. No one was harmed. Firefighters could not contain the fire and it spread destroying three houses. The affected properties included a two-story home, a four-bedroom house, and a small shop with a bedroom, estimated at $200,000.
Representatives from the Ministry of Sustainable Development are currently in Baku, Azerbaijan for the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP29. Belize is there to sound the alarm for the need for more and urgent climate financing for developing countries, especially those that fall under SIDS. Here is a snippet of the speech from the CEO in the ministry.
Kenrick Williams, CEO, Ministry of Sustainable Development "Every climate-related disaster serves as a profound reminder. Adaptation investment is not a luxury, nor is it a charity. Rather, it is indispensable for our survival. Like other SIDS, we face unique vulnerabilities with limited capacity to adapt."
"Just this past Sunday, tropical storm Sara made landfall in Belize, bring intense rainfall, widespread flooding, and threatening lives and livelihoods of our people. Coupled with the most severe wildfires this year, and Hurricane Lisa in 2023, aggregate loss and damage stands over $200 million, or over 6% of GDP in just two years."
"Regrettably, this cycle of loss and damage recurs much too often. This is why we need doubling of adaptation finance, and we need fast tracking of loss and damage finance. Belize, a small nation with an overwhelming stake in this crisis stands here, not just with words, but with the weight of our people's future."
"Our position is clear. Climate justice and equity must prevail."
The conference runs from November 11th to the 22nd.
You got to know her on 7NEws but pretty soon Cherisse Halsall will be working at the Washington DC Bureau of ABC News in the US Capital. Cherisse is currently a master's student at the Missouri School of Journalism, and has been named the 33rd David Kaplan Memorial Fellow.
She told us via Zoom how she got from her hometown of Belmopan to DC and what the fellowship will enable her to do:
Cherisse Halsall, Won Kaplan Fellowship at ABC News "Ultimately, I think that I won at the process because I was able to put my finger on the political pulse of the country. I told NBC News that Donald Trump was going to win because young men were voting for him as a protest vote at some kind of crossroads between aspiration and frustration with the system."
"And that has proven somewhat prophetic in the way this US election worked out. And so that's how I beat out the competition. What it will enable me to do is to go and be an intern at ABC News, which means I will be a field producer."
"I will be behind the scenes at all times. So I'm not reporting, I'm not ..... I am supporting reporters and anchors and I'm learning to do research at the network level, which will hopefully enable me to break some major stories."
"And it's a really exciting time to do this because President Trump and I start our new jobs on the exact same day. And I'm hoping that the chaos that ensues around him generally will give me a lot to do."
"I have to learn a lot about Capitol Hill, what the rhythms of Capitol Hill is, chasing down on any given day, whatever senator or a House member is involved with that, whatever the reaction of that day is."
"So if it was today, it would have been, why can't transgender women use the bathroom on Capitol Hill, but it could be any number of places. So I'm really going there to learn how to be a political reporter."
"And we all know based on Jules Vasquez's career that to do politics is to rise to the top really quickly. And so politics is what I'm after. Coming from a capital where we were exposed to the arguments, the theater of what the House of Representatives is in Belmopan there's a familiarity with the theater that is going to occur at the Capitol in the US. It may be on a much larger scale and these people may have more power, but it's the same power struggle. It's the same stakes about how are we going to feed our people? And for me, coming from such a small place where honestly, I don't know that anybody ever thought that I could really do anything at certain points in my life."
"It's quite humbling to understand that I'm going to have one of the most important roles I think a person can have, which is to bear witness to the government whose actions influence most of global politics."
Cherisse will get a $10,000 dollar stipend while the fellowship will grant her a full-time, paid position at ABC News. She is currently an anchor, reporter and producer at the University of Missouri's NBC affiliate, KOMU-TV.
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Tonight, floodwaters are coming down to the Belize River Valley - and already the community of Rancho Dolores is cut off. This Coast Guard truck which was deployed to that village on Sunday got submerged under 5 feet of water this morning on the approach to the bridge - and it remains there tonight, with waters expected to rise further.
Elsita Gillet, Chairlady, Rancho Dolores
PO1 Cassasola, Belize Coast Guard
Raymond Reyes, Resident
Reporter- 
Jude Joseph, Resident
And while the waters are rising in the River Valley, in San Ignacio- the Macal is receding and in the heart of the town, market vendors are slowly beginning to open up again for business. Jomarie Lanza reports.
"And Actually everybody here in the market depends on this so it's a very big loss for each of us. Each day that passes we lose so like I told you, especially that day we had to get extra people to come and help us."
El Fogon, Market Vendor
And in More Tomorrow Village, the residents are trapped inside, unable to go to work or school. Both roads leading out of the village are inundated with floodwaters - as deep as 4 feet in some parts. NEMO reportedly tried to enter, but was forced to turn back around. The villagers worry that if there is an emergency, they will not be able to get out. We spoke with the chairman today via phone.
"So as soon the water starts to go down, then people will go and see damage and the losses they got with the flood. And after that, then so we are getting in touch with the agriculture department, see they will come and assist we the farmers."
Coming back to the Belize District, the communities at mile 8 on the George Price Highway are also flooded.
And we got an update on the status of all Roads, Bridges and Ferries from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development today. It shows that most roads in the north have been opened, while in the west a number of roads remain closed or impassable. Notably, the entrance to Benque Viejo is passable and the bridge to Bullet Tree Falls is passable.
In Santa Elena Cayo, a daughter got home for lunch today at around 1:30 only to find her mother dead. The 63 year old had been stabbed to death. Donica Urbina told police that when she got there, she noticed that the gate to her mother's yard was open. Upon entering the house she found her mother lying on the floor leaned against the sofa bleeding from her face and neck area. She had been stabbed multiple times. No one else was at home when Castellanos was found and police are looking for an intruder tonight. Police are reviewing surveillance footage from the area.
Police raided a store in the Lake Independence area on Friday - and came up with a trove of illegal items, including an entire fake immigration operation - complete with visas and entry stamps.
And tonight that shop owner, 47 year old Joshua Ashburn has been charged. We can confirm that police found 6 Chinese Passports and 5 Belize Immigration Stamps.
On Monday we told you about the Corozal Freezone burglars who stole over 4 million pesos. With the use of drones, police were able to capture two of the four suspects in the area. Yesterday they charged 46 year old Egbert Vernon and 28 year old Joshua Westby, both from the Faber's Road area of Belize City, for the crime of burglary. Police recovered a portion of the money but reports say it was over 40 million pesos in total that was stolen.
And in other news, all around the world, millions of people tuned into Shyne Barrow's documentary, "The Honorable Shyne" when it premiered on Hulu on Monday. After its premiere, it skyrocketed to the top most watched show on the streaming platform.
"It's the number one film, show, on Hulu worldwide so I'm extremely grateful for that, thank you to everyone out there that has supported The Honorable Shyne documentary to make it number one, so extremely grateful for the reception we've gotten so far. Especially in Belize, there are a lot of people that did not know the Shyne story and because I'm a political figure the PUP has done an effective job, I think that's the only thing I could say they're done an effective job at in their tenure in this administration, but even before that, a narrative has been crafted about Shyne Barrow that, for those off you that have seen it, hearing from my father himself, hearing from my mother, that I did not grow up with even a bronze spoon in my mouth and I come from a single parent household and everything that I have, I had to ensure great suffering and sacrifice to get there."
And at the very start of the documentary, it delves into Barrow's relationship with his father, Dean Barrow. The former PM admitted to essentially abandoning his son, and Barrow's mother speculated that her son was looking for that father figure in his life.
A woman is detained pending investigation of arson after a house fire yesterday in the DFC area of San Pedro. The small wooden structure where it started was across from the Ambergris Stadium. No one was harmed. Firefighters could not contain the fire and it spread destroying three houses. The affected properties included a two-story home, a four-bedroom house, and a small shop with a bedroom, estimated at $200,000.
"Every climate-related disaster serves as a profound reminder. Adaptation investment is not a luxury, nor is it a charity. Rather, it is indispensable for our survival. Like other SIDS, we face unique vulnerabilities with limited capacity to adapt."
"Ultimately, I think that I won at the process because I was able to put my finger on the political pulse of the country. I told NBC News that Donald Trump was going to win because young men were voting for him as a protest vote at some kind of crossroads between aspiration and frustration with the system."
